Illusion and Reality
by x-menobsessed26
Summary: In creating new teams of X-men, Charles Xavier enlists the help of Danielle Moonstar to put the mutants to the test. ON HIATUS
1. Preparing for the Tests

**The inspiration for this story came from the Marvel storyline 'Fear Itself'. The description of that storyline as seen on Wikipedia says : **

******_"The story's antagonist is the Serpent, an Asgardian being who sows doubt and fear among the superheroes of the Marvel Comics Universe as illustrated by early promotional images for the event, which depict Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America, Cyclops, Thor, and Iron Man coming face to face with their worst nightmares."_ **

**All I did was take that idea and fit it to the cartoon. ****Please enjoy!**

normal  
_telepathic_

It had been over five years since the event with Apocalypse. It had been over five years since the world as humanity knew it was almost destroyed. Since then, the X-men had faced trials and suffering beyond that of what most normal people could imagine. Most of the reason Charles suspected "normal" people had such a hard time imagining the suffering was caused by their inability to see mutants as normal people. That barrier was one they didn't seem any closer to crossing than to finding a cure to global warming.

Charles Xavier looked up at the oak and marble clock inside his grand office, registering the simple fact that his guest was late. He then mentally kicked himself for thinking such things. He had called her spur-of-the-moment, asking her to come and cancel all of her plans she knew she was going to have for a while. He didn't doubt that he had been terribly unfair, but knew that she understood.

The door to his office opened an a flustered looking young Native American woman walked in, "I apologize for my tardiness. Traffic was terrible and I had some trouble rescheduling."

He waved a dismissive hand, "It wasn't right of me to throw this all upon you at the last moment, so three minutes of tardiness can be forgiven, I'm sure."

Danielle Moonstar smiled, "So what did you need to see me about?"

Charles folded his hands in such a way it seemed to scream 'sophisticated', "I have a favor to ask of you, but it may turn into a job offer."

"I'm listening."

"Very well," he sighed. "I understand you have gone to college to become a teacher. That is something we are in desperate need of due to the growing mutant population that are all flocking to this school. That being said, I will offer you not only a teaching position in a place where you wouldn't have to tone down your mutant abilities nor the ties to your heritage, but a position on the X-men if you wish. We'll take a look at the teams later and see which looks like the best fit.

"That being said, I have much to ask of you. I couldn't blame you in the slightest if you decided to back down from the offer, but it's still there nonetheless," Charles waited for her to speak. When she didn't, he simply continued, "I wish to create new teams of X-men to best fit abilities and personalities. I already know how they can fight and who they are as people, so that's not the problem. I need to know how they would handle day to day life if everything they feared the most came to life."

Danielle's eyes brightened, "I'm assuming this is where my powers come in."

Charles nodded, "Yes Danielle. You would be up with me in the Control Room above the Danger Room. Both rooms are nearly indestructible so we would be safe from anything that goes wrong. I've confined all of the X-men to their quarters until I get all of the teams situated. I will call them down one-by-one and test them with their fears. While your power is telepathic in nature, it is based on bringing people's fears out, yes?"

"I've now extended that to fit their heart's desires as well, but the fears are the best defense," Danielle chewed on her lip for a moment before asking. "Charles, I don't want them angry with me for using my powers like this. Besides, my powers are an illusion of the mind, so their minds will feel whatever I show them, but it will take real time. The test you're asking me to help with...it sounds like you want it done fast."

"I do, but I will be helping you. I want to be able to see what they see and what they feel, but I will also help you in that you do what you do, but as you know, mental commands are much faster than what we can do with our bodies. What happens in their minds in the span of six months could only take days in the real world, even less if we really push it. Don't worry about them being angry with you, Danielle. They already know that they have to go through with the testing, no matter what I decide to throw at them, if they want to be an X-man. They all agreed so you are free territory, but forgive me for speaking of you as if you are property," Charles concluded.

Danielle smiled, "You are forgiven and I'm in. Does everyone have to do this test?"

"Everyone from previous adult X-men like Logan and Ororo to New Mutants like Amara and Bobby. Everyone who wants on one of these teams has to go through testing...except you."

Danielle thought for a moment, "Charles, couldn't you have done this yourself?"

"I thought this question may come up," he mentally sighed and took a sip of some tea he had made earlier. "I could have brought up some of their fears, but it would be done in a way that it would be obvious it was an illusion. Besides, your power is specifically fitted to do this task, so that tells me that you can do better than I could have ever dream of doing, in theory. I may be the most powerful telepath on the planet, but that doesn't mean I'm the most skilled with everything telepathy has the potential to do."

"Understood," Danielle uncrossed her legs and stood. "Should we get started? How long are we going to be doing this?"

"As long as it takes."

* * *

Charles led Danielle to the Danger Room where they would wait in the Control Room. Since the X-men had been told to stay in their rooms and only in the room that they themselves were assigned, that sense of lonliness and patience would be a test in and of itself. Some of them had roommates, but most didn't and just because they had a roommate, it wasn't guaranteed they would want to talk to them for...days. Each of the bedrooms had a mini-fridge Charles had made sure was stocked with food and water, and Charles could tell when someone would need to use the toilet. Everything was set just in case this took more time than he thought it would.

Danielle pulled up a plush chair and sat herself in it for the testing. Once she was comfortable, she nodded to the other telepath. Mind games were something Charles loves to play, having always been fasinated by cause and effect reactions within a person's mind. Whenever Charles made a telepathic announcement (unless it was for the toilet or something), everyone in the mansion would hear it, just like with the first official announcement of this test.

_Scott Summers to the Danger Room._

**Scott is first, starting next chapter. Tell me in a review what you think his fears will be and what you think of the story so far. Reviews make my day!**


	2. Scott Summers

**Thank you for the review last chapter! It made my day so much bett, which was highly invited because today is career day at school.**

normal  
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Scott Summers sat on his pristine bed, looking like an older, stronger version five years prior. Much had happened in the last five years, both for good and bad. The best was Jean's acceptance of his proposal. The thought of that night still made him grin like the cat who had eaten the canary.

Much had changed in the aspect of society, but as cheesy as it sounded, their love hadn't. Scratch that. It had, but in the best way possible with it growing and growing until it seemed as if two people could never be more in love. They had been engaged for a year, and the entire mansion was in a hurry to have them married, though the couple was just the opposite. As far as Scott knew, Jean felt the same as him in that they were perfectly content just being engaged, not needing to move to the next level of their relationship just yet.

Scott pushed all of the worries that came to mind at the thought of his redheaded love out and tried to keep his mind clear. Kurt liked to crack jokes about Scott taking Logan's meditation training more seriously than the martial arts, but little did the blue elf know he was speaking the truth. To Scott, keeping a level head in a tough situation was more important than tearing everything apart around him.

Scott knew that in the line of work being an X-man required, he always had to embrace the impossible as holding some fragment of truth and possibility. After all, the impossible usually proved to be more realistic than the human perception.

_Scott Summers to the Danger Room_.

The young man's heart leapt into his throat thought somehow still managed to thump loudly from his chest. He stood on legs that threatened to drop him down the familiar corridors, and eventually arrived at the silver doors of the Danger Room. The doors opened automatically indicating the Professor was watching.

Scott felt a surge of anger toward his surrogate father and mentor. Why should he have to take this test? If it's in the Danger Room, it's a test of physical endurance. Didn't he put enough hours into the currently inactive space?

The doors shut but the space stayed inactive. That's when Scott knew he was in for a very rude awakening. Whenever there was a test, the sequence always started right away.

**[back in the Control Room]**

Charles turned to Danielle, "It's time. Use your imagination."

Danielle closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander into the other mutant's. She felt a pang of guilt for what she was about to do, and after wandering through his fears, which she could read like a book, she felt even worse about what had to be done, and hoped Cyclops had trained himself well enough to deal with the torture.

**[back in the Danger Room]**

Different weapons shot themselves at Scott, startling him from his thoughts. He dodged them, but still managed to get hit in his right calf. Ignoring his pain receptors, he attacked and evaded for what his nerdy, overcalculating section of brain told him had been a little over a half hour. When he finished, Scott heard in his mind, _Scott, please meet me in my office._

Somehow he knew it wasn't a congratulations.

* * *

"Failed?" Scott exclaimed. "What do you mean I've failed?"

Charles Xavier folded his hands in much of the same manner he had when Danielle had arrived, "I mean, you didn't pass."

"How? I've trained under your guidance since day one and excelled! I've given many years of my life to you! Now you tell me that after everything I. Haven't. PASSED!" Scott screamed as his fury caused hot tears to roll down his cheeks.

Charles expression never shifted, "I'm sorry Scott, but my decision is final. You may still live here as this will always be a safe haven for mutants, but you may not join the X-men."

Without a word, Scott turned on his heel and walked out of the office he had come to know so well. When he opened the door to his bedroom, he saw Jean sitting on his bed, "Jean! You're not supposed to be here!"

She stood and walked toward him and brush the tears off of his face, her touch numbing the wound left by Charles' decision, "I know, but I heard you shouting. Is everything okay?"

Scott looked away from her green gaze, "I've...I've been...I...failed."

Jean gasped and her hand went to her perfect mouth, "How? You're magnificant!"

"I don't know. I just don't-hey!" Scott picked up her left hand, "Where's your ring?"

Her eyes filled with tears that didn't waste any time in spilling over, "I'm sorry...for dropping this one on you after what just happened, but..."

Scott searched her eyes for any hint of a joke. He found none. In a whisper he knew she would hear more from his thoughts than his voice, he asked, "Are you leaving me?"

His best friend turned lover burst into tears and turned her back on him. He let his tears run free again and held her from behind, "Why? What did I do wrong? I can fix it, Jean!"

She shook her head after brushing his hands away, "What's done is done. I'm leaving the Institute and moving back in with my family. I can't be here anymore."

"Why? You could still be an X-man?"

Jean gripped her fiery locks and looked like she wanted to pull them out, "I've been trying to tell you for months, but you never listened! It was always X-men this and X-men that! I can't take it anymore!"

"I'm listening now," Scott said gently. "Tell me what's wrong."

She glared up at him and, before she walked out the door and his life forever, she said, "I'm pregnant."

The proceeding hour where he followed her and begged her to stay, at one point even getting on his knees, she never looked at him, ignorning his presence completely. Scott wished she would scream at him or throw a punch or something! Something just to show that he was heard or show what her true feelings were.

The minute her SUV drove off the estate, Scott's heart dissolved. He knew he had messed up, but he needed both Jean and the X-men. He didn't know how to choose. The X-men was the job and family he had always wanted, but Jean and Jean alone held his future. Scott went back inside and up to his room where, for the first time in over ten years, Scott gave himself over to his tears completely.

When he awoke the next morning, it was to his phone ringing loudly. He ran a hand over his face in an attempt to peel the sleep off of him, "Hello?"

"Good morning. Is Scott Summers avaliable?" an unfamiliar, official sounding male voice said into Scott's tired and confused ear.

"Speaking."

The man on the other end made an audible sigh, "Mr. Summers, I am Dr. Wood from the Kawi Community Hospital. It is my great displeasrue to inform you that your brother, Alexander Summers, passed away after an unfortuante surfing accident. We have been attempting to get in touch with his foster family, but it seems no one is home. You were listed as a contact below his home number."

Aparently, Scott's heart hadn't completely deserted him when Jean left because he felt a small piece of what was left shatter. His throat dried in a dramatic contrast to the wet of his cheeks. Realizing the man was waiting for an answer, he croaked, "Yes, I'll contact them."

Dr. Wood sighed again, "I am truly sorry for your loss Mr. Summers. I'm getting tired of seeing young bodies of surfers who believe they could take on the world in my morgue."

The minute he hung up, Scott burst into tears again. It wasn't at all like him, but he couldn't stop it. The love of his life carrying their child walked out of his life, he couldn't be a part of the team he had helped to form any longer, and now whatever small part of his family he had managed to salvage from the trainwreck of his past was now dead as well.

In his mind, he deserved the right to tears.

After about two hours of sobs, he picked up his cellphone and went through the contacts until he found _Masters' Home_. The phone only had to begin ringing and it was answered.

"Hello? Alex?" the frantic voice of Mrs. Masters said.

Shivers ran down Scott's body as he knew what he had to do, "No, not Alex. It's Scott."

"Oh Scott! Have you heard from Alex? We've only just gotten back to the house! Alex didn't meet us for lunch and he's not at home!"

Amazed he could still talk with a throat as dry and sore as his, he said, "Maybe you should sit down."

On the other end he could hear a plop and her whisper, "That's never a good sign."

"I'm af-afraid this time w-w-won't be an-ny different," Scott struggled to hold himself together. "I got a c-call from K-K-Kawi Community Hospital. He...he's...dead."

There was a long pause on the other end befroe an anguised scream from her could be heard. This was the second time they had lost a child. Scott could hear footsteps running, though just barely over the screams and sobs, and the phone was picked up.

"Hello?" Scott heard Mr. Masters' gruff voice.

"Alex is dead," Scott repeated in a whisper.

Another long pause filled the line with the cries as a backdrop before it went dead. Into empty air, Scott whispered, "I'm sorry."

Scott refused to let himself cry anymore. He made his decision and hoped that it would all be okay. Packing at a pace that would have made a factory machine jealous, he ended up in Xavier's office again. The older man must have expected him because he was waiting for Scott to start speaking.

Scott took a deep breath and started, "I'm sorry for throwing a fit about not being on the team. You know what's best for them and I shouldn't have objected to the obvious. I know I'm not right to lead the team for I can barely lead myself. Besides, when all is considered, I don't believe this team is what is best for me at the moment. I have always held the idea of family to the highest regard for obvious reasons, and I just couldn't live with myself if I let them get away."

Charles nodded, "Like I said before, you may still live here and visits are always an option, so please don't let it pass you by and remember to check in once in a while."

Scott smiled, "Will do."

He walked out the doors of the mansion with a new found spirit. Scott got into his packed car and began to drive, deciding to check out how real estate was in up state New York.

* * *

Not so bad, as it turns out. While it wasn't a house, he felt sure the apartment he was now renting would get the job done. It took a few weeks to fix up and another week to finalize his job as a high school science teacher. On a Sunday he normally would have spent grading papers before another Monday of work, he freshened himself up and set off to the Grey household which was located about a half an hour away.

He had called the Grey's and with a quick conversation with John Grey, Jean's father, he had found out that Jean was planning on being there for a family day on Sunday, and had dropped more than one hint that Scott should come over and try to win her heart back. Scott planned to try.

When he got out of his car, which he had heartbreakingly traded his gorgeous sports car in for a more practical Chevy Malibu, he nearly had a heart attack at the realization that this was all or nothing. He walked up to the white picket fence of one of the most stereotypically suburban houses he had ever seen with his stomach missing in action. That's what it felt like anyway.

It was a bright and sunny day, but it might as well have been cold and rainy. With a shaking hand, he rang the doorbell and waited for the rejection.

Elaine Grey, Jean's mother, answered the door, and looked up at Scott with a gaze of relief, love, and just a touch of motherly hate for scorning her daughter. Scott supressed a laugh. He had always gotten on well with Mrs. Grey and her not immediately screaming at him was something he took as a good sign.

"Hello Mrs. Grey. Is Jean home?"

Elaine smiled despite all of the mental protests to the contrary Scott was sure were swirling through her mind, "Of course she is. Would you care to join us for lunch? We were just sitting down to eat."

Thanking her, Scott stepped in and took off his shoes and coat at the door like he had all of the other times he had accompanied Jean back to her home. Scott could hear the laughs of Mr. Grey and Jean, and the voice of her sister, Sara. Sara's husband, Paul, must have been on business again. When Scott walked into the kitchen, however, all noise ceased.

Mr. Grey grinned, not bothering to supress his happiness at seeing Scott again, but the two daughters were a different story. Jean glared at him, but it was more filled with sadness than anything, but Sara looked ready to pop from the amount of fury visible in her green eyes. Lunch continued in silence after Scott sat in an empty seat near Mr. Grey save from the frequent coughs from the man of the house who was half-heartedly attempting to cover up his laughter.

When the meal looked like it was truly coming to an end, much to the relief of Mrs. Grey, Scott was sure, Scott stood and looked at Jean, "May I talk to you for a moment alone, please?"

"NO!" Sara shot out of her seat and pointed a finger at Scott's chest. "You hurt her by never being there for her, she leaves for what she thinks is better, and now you come back to make it all worse after she's starting to get her life back on track? You can't love her! Not when you'll be willing to do this to her time and time again!"

"Sara please!" Jean begged, tugging on her older sister's hand.

Sara sat down with a huff, but her glare never faltered, "I don't know what she ever saw in you. You're not the man she would always tell us stories about."

Scott was reaching his own breaking point, but held his control, "You're right. I wasn't. I was a lazy bastard who thrived on the idea of having someone to love, more on having someone to love me, and wasn't willing to put in the effort to keep her. I'm not here to make excuses for the way I acted, since nothing will ever excuse it. I am a human being though, and like most other humans on this planet, I didn't realize what I had until it was gone. I had always been looking for a family when one was right in front of me in the first place. I had Jean, the woman I had always wanted, and I would have had a child. Clearly nothing I can say or do will ever make up for what I did, so I guess all I can say is I'm sorry and leave."

Just as Scott turned to leave, Jean stood, "Wait!"

Scott whirled around, "What?"

"What did you come here to say? I know you too well for it to be an apology," Jean asked, sitting back down.

"I came to tell you that...I've left the Institute for good. I did a few weeks ago. The day I left I bought an apartment and got a job as a teacher at the high school near here was the day I left the Institute. I..." Scott gulped. "I love you Jean. I need you in my life. Even if you won't be in my life, at least let this child be."

Mr. and Mrs. Grey stared at Jean, practically begging her with their eyes to accept him while Sara did the exact opposite with hers. None of their looks mattered, as Jean didn't look at any of them. She was staring right at Scott, checking his visage over for any signs of not being serious. Then she smiled, all of the sadness leaving her face replaced by a newly replenished stream of love.

Jean launched herself over the table and into the arms of her lover as Scott gripped her in an embrace not likely to let up on its strength any time soon. He held her to his chest letting tears of joy run down his face and into her flaming red hair. All of the other occupants of the room left, while Sara's exit was reluctant.

Jean looked up at Scott, and the sight of her green eyes made his heart sing, "It's a girl."

"What?"

Jean laughed and kissed his neck, "Our baby. It's a girl. I had her two days ago."

His heart nearly stopped beating, "You've...had the baby?"

"Mm-hmm. Do you want to see her?"

He didn't even answer before she was dragging him up the stairs of her house up to what he knew was her old room. There was a crib set up in the corner. Scott's feet refused to move farther than the doorway. Jean just smiled at him and walked over to the pink crib and pulled a bundle in clothes the same color up into her arms. Slowly, she walked back to Scott and laid their daughter in his arms.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, barely beating out Jean. His baby girl. She had fine auburn hair and the softest pink skin he had ever seen. He gasped, "Her name?"

"Rachel Katherine Summers."

His head shot up, "You...didn't give her yours?"

Jean laughed, "I loved you, Scott. I still do and always will. Why give her my name when even I didn't want to keep it?"

"We'll change that. I promise."

The weeks passed in a flurry of baby cries and lullabies with a quick wedding and move involved as well. Scott had a family now, and everything was exactly as he had ever wanted it san the X-men, but he still saw them all the time. Ororo refused to not have Rachel come over at least once a week.

Late at night in June, three month old Rachel began to cry. It was 2:00 am.

Jean groaned and began to get up when Scott put his hand on her shoulder to pull her back down to the bed and stood up in her place, "I'll take care of her. You go back to sleep."

She complied no matter how guilty she felt for letting him give up his sleep for yet another night. She was taking care of Rachel everyday, opting to be a stay-at-home mom at the moment rather than juggle an infant and a job. It was tiring.

Scott's eyes burned with sleep as he walked into his daughter's room, "Hey Rach! You're driving Momma crazy!"

Rachel stopped crying enough to smile and giggle a bit at him. He laughed lightly in response and held her as she went back to sleep. He would be the first to admit that he was wrapped around his daughter's little finger.

She fell asleep fast and the burning in Scott's eyes got worse so he put 'baby girl' back in her cradle and softly walked back out of the door. He was almost to his and his wife's room when she began to scream again. Scott groaned and put his fists to his eyes, wondering in the back of his mind why they felt so hot.

Jean walked past her husband mumbling something about Rachel being the death of her, not even bothering to look at her husband. As she disappeared into the room, that's when the sledgehammer inside of Scott's skull began pounding. An axe quickly joined in, alternating pounds with the hammer. He screamed and a force pushed his fists away from his face.

He heard the screams of his wife and cries of his daughter before he could register they were dead. The fire marshall later claimed it a freak electrical frie accident, which no one knew he could tell because of the lack of anything that used to be their house. Scott stared at the remains of the house he had helped build with his bare hands and sweat that now served as the grave of the memory of his girls.

Charles Xavier had offered Scott a spot back at the Institute and he had taken it without really registering reality. Jean and Rachel were both dead. What next?

* * *

Apparently a spot back on the X-men. Charles put Scott through numerous physical and psychological tests and the young man passed every single one no matter how hard it was. Scott was assigned field leader again, and he lead the team through every battle he could with a new fight in his soul. He wasn't fighting for himself or 'The Xavier Cause' as the press had begun to call it. He was fighting for his family, for everything he had lost.

He was a man of no emotion outside, but all emotion inside. No one could ever know just how much he was hurting inside, but they knew how he channeled it, as his work had never been better.

Then the world went white.

* * *

Scott Summers opened his eyes to the gleaming silver of the Danger Room.

"It was an illusion, Scott."

Scott turned to face his mentor, "What was an illusion?"

Charles gestured around, "Everything that happened the moment you stepped in the Danger Room for the team test."

"How?" Scott asked as he stood. "How? Why? What?"

"I understand you're confused. Danielle Moonstar. You remember her, yes? She can make your worst nightmares appear to be true," Charles explained. "I had to test you Scott, and you passed. I apologize for the trauma you will probably experience for a short while because of what you saw, but I never meant to hurt you. You must face and embrace your fears in order to be a good leader. You did just that."

Scott was dumbstruck, "You made me get kicked off of the team, Jean leave me after she tells me she's pregnant, Alex die, and have me kill my family all in my mind so you could test my leadership capabilities? As horrible as that is, it's damn brilliant!"

Charles laughed, "I'm glad you think so. We put your body into a comatose state and had Dr. Moira MacTaggert, whom I introduced you to on our little adventure to Muir Island, take care of your body while we explored your mind."

"Hello Moira," he waved to her. "You're a sick man, Charles Xavier."

The thoughts of everything that had happened in what had apparently been a few months if not half a year were still swirling around in his head.

"I know, but you had to be tested. I want you to go and wait in the rec room up one level. Jean will be joining you after her test. Oh! And Scott? You've been in your mind for a total of four days, not months."

Scott laughed on his way up to the room. His surrogate father was a sick man. A sick man indeed.

**Review please! Like I said in this chapter, Jean Grey will be next! What do you think _her_ fears will be?**


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